Field Maintenance

COACHES/MANAGERS:

The following field maintenance instructions will be followed before and after every game. They apply for both sets of coaches (Home and Visitor) and for all games--weeknight and weekend. Please show respect for each other by doing your share, and to show your appreciation for all the time, money, and hard work that we have put into our fields to make them the best playing surface around for your kids. Please follow the guidelines below and check out the video links (to the right) for basic information.

BEFORE EVERY GAME:

1. Rake the infield.

2. The field will be lined by the Home team before every game. Get the chalker from the maintenance shed; fill the chalker in or near the shed to keep (spilled) chalk off the field. Mark the batter's boxes and foul lines. Batter’s box templates are located in the maintenance shed. String lines are in the maintenance shed with the chalker. Return the chalker, batter's box template and string lines to the maintenance shed. On hot dry summer days, the next step is very important: at this point, water the infield dirt areas, INCLUDING the lines you just chalked! Gently sprinkle and dampen the chalk. Without watering, it won't last a whole game. This will make your job easier and re-chalking faster for all.

3. Install bases (located in maintenance shed) and place base plugs where they can be easily found by the last team of the day – typically with the chalking equipment in the maintenance shed.

WATERING INSTRUCTIONS (If Required):

For the optimum playing conditions, ALL infield skinned areas (home plate area, pitcher's mound, and between 1st to 3rd bases) should be dampened BEFORE games. The hose--with connector and sprayer--will be at each field. Please lift the hose OVER the dirt when bringing it to/from the fence. If the hose is drug back and forth, then the material will simply get scraped off the dirt and into the grass. Please use a gentle rain-like setting to water the mound and home plate areas. When you water the skinned area of the infield, along the base paths and between the bases, stand at the edge of the grass and water all of the dirt areas with a higher-pressure setting so it will go further.

AFTER EVERY GAME:

1. RAKING: When you smooth out the mound and batter's box areas, use the flat edge of the rake, NOT THE TOOTHED SIDE. We do not want to damage the material under the surface! Use this same method around the bases and in the sliding areas.

2. DRAG: If you are the last game of the day, remove the bases and replace the base plugs before dragging. We're trying to get away from the concept of raking. Raking is destructive to the playing surface; if you rake the wrong way, it develops "lips" at the grass edges that require large reconstructive efforts to remedy. There are screen drags on each field. The drags should be pulled by hand around the home plate area down the base paths toward 1st and 3rd bases. Drag in large circles around the infield from 1st to 3rd base. Be sure keep the drag mat at least 1 foot away from the edge of the grass. REMEMBER THIS: If you ALWAYS pull in the direction of the base paths, and never overlap a grass edge, then the "lipping" problem of dirt buildup at the edge of the infield will be greatly reduced.

3. If you are the last game of the day, remove the bases and put them back in the maintenance shed. Replace the base plugs before dragging.

Bathrooms

The bathrooms at Wood Street and at Chace need to be kept clean. We have hired a cleaning service to clean these locations twice a week, but please make sure everything is in order (e.g. enough toilet paper) for the game.